An Overview of Depth Psychology

The depth psychology is not a separate branch of psychology, however, an approach to treat the mental disorders by exploring underlying motives of the human mind. According to the experts in this field, process of uncovering the underlying motives provides solutions to healing of mind.

Understanding the cognitive and behavioral processes provides an entry to the depths of human mind. The depth psychology therapy is carried out by means of psychoanalysis.

Depth psychology can also be described as a process of getting into the depths of mind and awakening it. Increasing our awareness is one of the prime objectives of this study. The subject of depth psychology is so vast that understanding it is possible only by studying from different perspectives. First of all, let us understand what is archetype.

It is necessary to study the concept of archetype in order to understand more about depth psychology. Archetype is basically a certain set of pattern of behavior. It can also be referred to as personality or model of a person. In the words of Carl Jung, archetype is the collection of ideas that are inherited unconsciously.

The terms Jungian psychology and depth psychology are often used interchangeably. This is because, both the approaches are aimed at knowing more about the unconscious. According to Carl Jung, the unconscious is classified into two types, i.e., collective and personal.

The personal unconscious is composed of all the experiences and memories of that specific person. Collective unconscious, on the other hand, contains commonly held beliefs of a set of people. These are the beliefs about religion, universal truths, etc.

Interpreting the meaning of dreams is also an important part of Jungian theory. Activity of interpreting the dreams helps us understand the archetype or behavioral pattern of the person in question.

The study of different forms/ types of depth psychology gives us a better understanding of this concept. Various types are discussed further.

Transpersonal Psychology
In this form of psychology, the study of human potential with respect to their understanding of transcendent consciousness and spirituality is made. The understanding of personal self that lies beyond ego can be attained through the study of transpersonal psychology.

Gestalt Psychology
The Gestalt psychology is based on holistic study of human mind and behavior. Development of Gestalt psychology is seen as an opposition to structuralism of Wilhelm Wundt. Structuralism deals with mental experiences associated only with consciousness.

Existential Psychology
It is the study of psychology that is based on philosophy. The inner conflicts of a person, according to existential psychology occur due to the confrontation of established facts of existence. The examples of these facts are death, freedom, etc. The existence of a beings (human beings) is also marked by the ability to make decisions.

Humanistic Psychology
This field of psychology is concerned with the study of human mind taking into account its uniqueness. The humanistic theory therefore, proposes that human beings are different from other organisms and different parameters need to be applied for the study of mind.

Higher studies in the field of depth psychology can lead to opportunities like working as psychotherapists and professors. You need to have a Ph.D. in psychology to work as a psychotherapist. It is advisable to specialize in subjects like existentialism and humanistic psychology for the master's and doctoral programs.

Depth psychology is an interesting field of study which helps uncover the different types of behavioral patterns observed in human beings. This branch of psychology being associated with unraveling the happenings of unconscious mind, gives an in depth understanding of how the human mind generates thoughts, stores memories, etc.

Depth psychology is concerned with the study of the very core of human existence and is therefore, one of the most important disciplines of psychology.